


A Pokemon Fanfiction: In Progress

by EvilPenguinRika



Series: A Pokemon Headcanon Series [5]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, also Cynthia making all the ladies swoon, based off of a headcanon on how they got together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-06-27 07:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15680367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilPenguinRika/pseuds/EvilPenguinRika
Summary: They were co-workers--acquaintances almost--with contrasting personalities. However, as the years go on, their relationship began to evolve.





	1. Year 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was talking to a group of online friends on discord about how our rarepair ships got together. I hadn't really thought about Volkner/Candice's until my friend gave us that prompt. So, I ended up writing out a huge thing about how I saw these two cuties getting together. I got inspired to write fanfiction for this so here it is! Welcome to the very first chapter based off of the clusterfuck of paragraphs and ramblings from my head, ha ha!

 

  

The meeting room was packed full of people. Some were current Gym Leaders and Elite Fours, while others had retired from the job and were handing their title down to the newer recruits. All the seats circled around a large oval glass table with metal legs that glistened a muted silver colour. 

 

Chatters of all kinds erupted from inside the room. There were people sitting on folded chairs because they realized there were not enough office chairs for the new Gym Leaders and Elite Fours to sit on.  

 

A girl with long black hair separated into braids made her way over to an empty seat next to a young man with golden blonde hair. She blinked her eyes a couple times as she could have sworn his hair glowed. Although it was caused by the sunlight that graced its way inside the meeting room. 

 

"Hi! My name's Candice!" She greeted him. However, he all but stared at her for a brief second before he turned his head back and stared across from him. 

 

"What's your name?" She tried again. Still, the boy remained unresponsive. Candice was about to initiate once more when the frosted glass doors swung open and in came a rather tall man with slicked back white hair, and eyes that seemed to sparkle with every blink. 

 

"Alright everyone, the official Sinnoh League meeting is about to begin, and we have quite an agenda today." His voice boomed loudly with every word that escaped his mouth. Candice was taken aback but quickly engulfed with what the man had to say. 

 

"As most of you will know, I've been the Champion of Sinnoh for, Arceus, ten years now?" He laughed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Two months ago, I was defeated by a fabulously strong, dedicated, and passionate trainer. And as per tradition, I must hand the title of Champion down to our newest Champion of Sinnoh." 

 

His arm stretches out towards his right as he gestured to a beautiful woman with long light blonde hair that curled up in different directions. Her bangs covered half of her face, but it didn't seem like she minds. The woman stood up and looked to be almost the same height as the former Champion of Sinnoh. Candice's eyes looked the woman up and down and realized she was wearing a pair of black lace-up heels. Though, now that Candice was paying attention, the woman's entire outfit was made up of black. She wore a black sheer top with a black tank top underneath. Her black pants were hemmed with a thick white strip the went around each leg. She had even worn a necklace with a teardrop-shaped pendant. It shone brightly as the sun hits the translucent pendant. 

 

"This is Cynthia, and she'll be our new Champion of Sinnoh from this day forward! Give her a warm welcome, everyone!" He cheered. 

 

The room was soon filled with cheers and claps from everyone. Cynthia's cherry-coloured lips were pushed into a half smirk as she bowed gracefully. Her hair fell beside her like the heavy draped curtains in a theatre. 

 

"Thank you, everyone. I'm looking forward to working with everyone." She stated before she sat back into her seat. 

 

"Now! Let's get started with the agenda, shall we?" 

 

* 

 

"Oh man, that meeting took longer than usual." 

 

"Well, we did have to introduce the new Gym Leaders and Elite Fours." 

 

"Hey! Where're the snacks!?" 

 

Candice was beside the drinks and snack—or lack of snack—table, ready to quench her dry throat with something cool. She reached out towards the stacks of over-turned glass cups and her hand suddenly bumped into another. 

 

"Oh, sorry." 

 

Candice looked up and was met with the same young man she had tried talking to before the meeting started. 

 

"It's you!" Candice piped. "Oh! I mean, no worries! You can take that, I'll just grab this other one!" 

 

She took another cup and was about to reach for the jug of ice water when she noticed the boy was staring at the hand that bumped into hers just moments ago. She cocked an eyebrow and gently bit her lower lip. 

 

"Uh, I'm not like, sick or anything. No cooties whatsoever if that's what you're worried about." Candice giggled. She quickly grabbed the jug and filled her cup with water. 

 

"Sorry, don't mind this guy." Another young man with a mop of fiery red hair styled in a unique afro stepped in. He placed his hand gently on the blonde's shoulder as his other hand reached outwards. "I'm Flint, this guy's Volkner." 

 

Candice smiled and shook Flint's hand. "I'm Candice! It's nice to meet you both!" 

 

"Likewise," Flint replied. 

 

"Congratulations on being the newest member of the Elite Four, by the way!" Candice exclaimed as she took a sip from her cup. She then turned her attention to Volkner with a large smile. "And congratulations on being Sunyshore's new Gym Leader! Looks like we'll be working together from here on out!" 

 

"Same here! Congrats on being Snowpoint's new Gym Leader!" Flint exclaimed. 

 

"Yeah," Volkner answered. 

 

"What type do you specialize in?" Flint asked. The hand that was on Volkner's shoulder was now replaced with his arm that wrapped around him. 

 

"I specialize in Ice Type Pokemon!" Candice replied. 

 

Flint's eyes widen at the mention of Ice Types. "No way! For real!? I totally would not have pegged you as an Ice Type trainer from your personality!" 

 

Candice tilted her head. Her eyebrows furrowed together, and her lips flattened out into a thin line. Flint seemed to have noticed the tension and quickly diffused it. 

 

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to offend! I meant, usually when you think of Ice Type trainers, you think of cold, standoffish, or snooty people. But you are totally the opposite of those traits." Flint explained. 

 

Candice chuckled and waved her hand in front of her. "Nah, it's not a big deal. And I get it. Usually, when I tell people I deal with Ice Type Pokemon, they either don't believe me or automatically assume I fall under those stereotypes. I never knew why that became a thing, or how it all started, to be honest." 

 

"G-guilty as charge, ah ha ha..." Flint hummed. 

 

"Enough about that though, what types do you two specialize in?" Candice asked. 

 

"Fire for me!" Flint's voice boomed with self-confidence and pride as he straightened up his posture and tilted his head back just a smidge. 

 

"Oh! Looks like we're rival types then," Candice teased, giving Flint a friendly wink. She turned her attention to Volkner, her eyes blinked as she waited for his answer expectantly. 

 

Volkner looked over from Flint and Candice and let out a defeated sigh. "Electric Type." 

 

The three of them—or at least Candice and Flint—continued to immerse themselves in conversation. They would ask each other questions about their history as a Pokemon Trainer and what made them decided to take on the roles they had now. Candice was thankful that she was able to talk with others, especially others her own age. When the meeting had started, she had glanced around and noticed the different age group of the Gym Leaders, Elite Fours, and even the Champions (former and current). She thought she may have been the only youngest member here, but that thought was soon thrown out the window when Flint and Volkner said they were both nineteen. 

 

"Hey! We should exchange numbers! What's your Pokegear number?" Flint asked. He had already whipped out his own Pokegear without even waiting for Candice's reply. 

 

"Yeah, totally!" She set her cup down and reached into her pocket. She took out a white Pokegear with light blue accents. Candice's eyes wandered over to Volkner, who seemed to have little to no interest in the situation. 

 

"C'mon, Volkner. You join in too. It helps to make friends with people you'll be seeing and working with." Flint chided. Volkner shrugged and fished his own Pokegear out. 

 

All three of them exchanged numbers and was soon immediately roped into conversing with other members of the League. Candice, Flint, and Volkner said their brief goodbyes before they turned their attention to the others. The bright fluorescent light mixed with the natural sunlight that leaked through the large glass pane windows made the room feel like it was in another realm. 

 

"I told Roark that I didn't need any fossils over at my gym, but I did end up taking the ones of fossilized plants!" One of the Gym Leader, Gardenia, said. The liquid in her cup sloshed around as her hands moved for emphasis. 

 

"That's kind of cool that you get to have something special like that!" Candice said. 

 

Gardenia only shrugged. There was a faint pink blush splattered across her freckled face. Candice took notice of that and quietly smiled to herself as she drank the rest of her water. The burning of the frigid liquid numbs her mouth for a split second before it cools down and reverts to normal. Candice excused herself and headed back to refill her cup. As she did that, she quickly caught a glimpse of Volkner leaving the meeting room and into the hallway. Candice glanced back behind her and saw that Gardenia was busy talking with Roark and Fantina. 

 

Candice idly reached up to one of her braids and fiddled with it between her index finger and thumb. She moved around the bodies of people, excusing herself and apologizing along the way when she had accidentally bumped into someone. She finally made it out of the mass and entered the beautiful marble hallway. Her eyes darted around and found Volkner sitting on a bench that faced the large glass windows. 

 

She quietly approached him, making sure that she would not startle him. Candice was unsure of what Volkner was like, only the typical first impression of being quiet and closed off. Though, it was never in Candice's personality to judge someone from what they looked like, or from how they acted upon first meeting. However, that being said, Volkner barely spoke a word to her when she, him, and Flint had been talking earlier before. So, really, her rule about not judging someone from their first meeting should be nulled. 

 

"Not a big fan of crowds?" Candice asked quietly as she was now an inch away from the bench Volkner was on. 

 

"No, not really..." He trailed off, though he hadn't made a move to look over at her. 

 

Candice nodded but realized that he wouldn't be able to see that and had decided to sit down next to him instead. 

 

Silence surrounded them both, save for the muffled noise that came from the meeting room. Candice just stared out into the large windows and watched the clouds float by. The sun had begun to set, painting the sky a beautiful pale pink and with orange hues. 

 

Candice had begun to tap her foot and played around with the fluff from the soft bench they were sitting on. She could hear the soft  _tap,_ _tap,_ _tap_  from her brown leather boots echo around them. She looked over at Volkner and then back in front. Her teeth gnawed on her upper lip as she tried to calm herself down with slow breaths. She was highly uncomfortable with the silence and wasn't sure if she should stay or leave. 

 

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to," Volkner stated. 

 

Candice jumped in her seat from the sudden sound after minutes of silence. She turned her body and faced Volkner. 

 

"N-no, it's just..." She stifled a groan as she tried to find the right words to say. 

 

"I'm... Not that great with socializing. Flint's usually been the one to do most of the talking for both of us. And," this time, Volkner turned and looked directly at Candice. "Being in a large crowd makes me uneasy and mentally exhausted. So quiet times like these helps me recharge, even if it's just a little bit." 

 

"That's understandable," Candice reassured. Her lips turned upwards and a soft giggle escaped her lips. This prompted Volkner to cock his head to the side, his brows lifted, and his eyes narrowed towards her. 

 

"We're kind of the opposites, in that matter," Candice started. "You become overwhelmed when you're in an area with lots of people; I thrive off from being around large groups of people. You prefer to be alone to recharge; I end up losing energy when I'm alone for long periods of time." 

 

Volkner chuckled. "You're right. We really are opposites." 

 

The corner of Candice's lips stretched even more, turning upwards. 


	2. Year 2

 

 ****

The next League meeting was just as boring, but it helped that Flint was with him to keep him company. Volkner hated being in large crowds. He always felt exhausted when he had to keep up appearances and socialize with people—especially strangers. He hated talking to strangers. 

 

"And the next order of business is going to be—" 

 

Volkner tried to stifle a yawn but failed miserably. He then felt a small nudge beside him and quickly glanced over to be met with a smirk from Flint. Volkner rolled his eyes slinked deeper into his seat. His eyes wandered around the room as he tuned out the voices. Everyone in this room were people he had met last year, though there were others that looked new. He could never remember anyone's names and never bothered to. The only other person he remembered was that Ice Type Gym Leader in Snowpoint City. Cathy? Kady? Candy? No, it was Candice. He spotted her easily as she was probably the only one who was putting on a smile during this meeting. 

 

"Hn..." Volkner muttered under his breath. He took his Pokegear out and saw the time flashing across the screen.  _11:23 AM_. He groaned internally and was about to pocket his Pokegear when he felt it vibrate and an envelope icon popped onto the screen. 

 

He quickly looked around to ensure that no one was paying attention to him before he opened the message. 

 

 _Flint: Hey dude this meeting is boring as hell_ _xO_  

 

Volkner huffed and mustered up a reply. 

 

 _Volkner_ _: I know._  

 

Another message popped up and Volkner opened that, surprised that Flint had replied so fast. But as he opened the message—and even looked over to Flint, who was still typing, realized that he had gotten a message from someone else. 

 

 _Candice: you're texting during the meeting!!_  

 

Volkner looked up and saw Candice as she threw a subtle wave in his direction. 

 

 _Volkner_ _: You're texting during the meeting too._  

 

His Pokegear vibrates. 

 

 _Flint: r u texting Candice!?!?!?!_  

 

Volkner elbowed Flint but made sure it wasn't enough to bring attention to them both. Flint held back a groan as he rubbed his side and casting a side-glare towards Volkner. The blonde retaliated with a smug smirk. 

 

Another couple texts came through. 

 

 _Candice: OK. I mean. You have a point._  

 _Candice: This meeting is p boring_ _tho_ _ngl_  

 _Candice: I wish we can end and just go get snacks_  

 

Volkner tried to think up of something to say, but the texts from Candice kept coming. It was hard to keep up with everything she was saying since she kept separating her sentences in every single text instead of combining them all and sending it all in one go. It got to the point where he was able to answer with a shrugging emoji before he tucked his Pokegear back into his pocket. 

 

The meeting continued for another two hours or so before finally closing. Volkner stood up and went right towards the drink table. Flint followed closely behind him as he gently slapped his hand onto Volkner's back. 

 

"What were you and our Ice Princess talking about?" Flint teased. 

 

"Shut up," Volkner grumbled and shimmied himself away from Flint. 

 

Flint let out a hearty laugh and slung his arm around Volkner's shoulders. "You know I'm just kidding, right buddy?" 

 

"Yeah, yeah..." Volkner sighed. 

 

"Hey!" 

 

"Well, speak of the Heatran!" Flint forced Volkner to turn around with him as they were now face-to-face with Candice. 

 

"Remember me?" She chuckled. 

 

"Who could ever forget our Ice Princess?" Flint replied jokingly. 

 

Volkner stood next to the two of them, hunched over a little as he hugged himself. Candice and Flint had ended up immersed in a conversation that he could care less about. He shifted his weight from one leg to another. He had been sitting for hours during the meeting, but for some reason, standing here made his legs numb. 

 

"'scuse me..." He mutters under his breath. Volkner spun around on his heels and quickly dashed towards the large glass double doors. The sheer size of the meeting room, the doors, and the people overwhelmed him to the point where he felt his heart race against his chest. Not to mention standing next to his best friend and his co-worker—both with lively personalities—were too much for him. 

 

He escaped the meeting room and let out a breath of relief. Volkner ran his hand through his hair, tussling it until it was a shaggy mess. His eyes shut for a moment as he took the time to regulate his breathing.  _Inhale_.  _Exhale_.  _Inhale_.  _Exhale_. 

 

"There you are!" 

 

Volkner squeaked as he jumped an inch off the smooth marble tiled flooring. He turned around, face red from embarrassment as he clutched the front of his shirt. 

 

"I've never heard a guy squeak before," Candice said, giggling a little. "Sorry I scared you, by the way." 

 

"It's—it's fine." 

 

"Mm..." Candice paused. Volkner tried to read the other girl's face but it was hard to tell what she was thinking. Her behaviour had been simple to analyze, being that she was always so optimistic and bubbly. Though there were moments, moments like these, where it was hard to predict what her next move would be. 

 

"Let's go take a walk in the garden!" Candice suggested. 

 

Volkner rose a brow and scrunched his nose. "Why?" 

 

She shrugged. "It might be fun! Plus, a good change of scenery is nice!" 

 

"I guess..." 

 

"Awesome! Let's go!" Candice took Volkner's hand and they headed down the hallway. 

 

* 

 

The garden was huge and filled with docile Pokemon. Volkner took in the new surrounding and was surprised that the lush greenery would fit stylistically with the modern almost-all-glass building that the Sinnoh League Association occupied. His eyes darted from one plantlife to another. Of course, it wasn't rare to see vegetation in Sunnyshore, but this was a lot more than Volkner was able to comprehend. Sure, the residents of Sunnyshore grew their own food and were probably the eco-friendliest place in Sinnoh, but this garden—no, this  _place_  topped anything that Sunnyshore did. 

 

"You rarely see any beautiful plants up on Snowpoint since it's always snowing up there. On the rare occasions that it isn't snowing, we just get a couple of plants popping out here or there." Candice said. Volkner made no movement to look at her as his attention was still preoccupied with the scenery. However, that was soon cut short when he felt his Pokegear vibrate in his pocket. He dug his hand into his pocket and fished out the device, flashing five different messages. 

 

 _Flint: YO_  

 _Flint: WHERE DID U GO_  

 _Flint: Candice went to find u_  

 _Flint: did she find u_  

 _Flint: VOLK WHERE R U_  

 

Volkner hid his laughter with a scoff. His fingers tapped away at the keypad as he wrote a reply to Flint. 

 

 _Volkner_ _: Candice found me. We're out in the gardens._  

 

 _Flint: THERE'S A GARDEN HERE!?_  

 

Volkner rolled his eyes, a small smirk graced his lips. 

 

 _Volkner_ _: Yeah. That was my exact reaction when Candice told me about it_  

 

 _Flint: u liar_  

 _Flint: that was totally not_ _ur_ _reaction when you found_ _out :_ _P_  

 

 _Volkner_ _: You got me lol._  

 

"That Flint?" Candice asked. 

 

"Mm, yeah. He was wondering where I was." Volkner answered, though his eyes remained on his Pokegear, waiting to see if Flint would text him back. When seconds passed by, it was clear that the conversation between them had stopped. So Volkner put his Pokegear back into his pocket where it belonged. 

 

"You two are really close huh?" 

 

A nod. "We've been friends ever since we were little." 

 

"Childhood friends!?" Candice gasped. Her large round eyes faced Volkner and for the first time, he glanced up and met her gaze. "That's amazing!" 

 

Volkner turned his head around in the other direction as he hid his blush. "Not really." 

 

Silence overtook them save for the sounds of the Pokemon that wandered and loitered around in the garden. Volkner shifted on his feet, his fingers played with the gold zipper on his navy-blue jacket. His nails raked against the zipper's teeth throughout the prolonged silence. He chewed his bottom lip and took a deep breath in. 

 

"What about you? Do you have any childhood friends?" He asked. He felt his heart gnaw inside his ribcage and tried to mentally calm it down. 

 

"Mmm, not really. Despite my social Butterfree behaviour, I don't have that many friends—close friends. I mean, I  _have_ friends, but they're never  _friends_ , you know?" Her voice sounded off and unlike the usual pep that she brought whenever she talked. 

 

"Yeah, I get it. Flint's been my only friend since we were little. People tend to avoid me or prefer to talk to Flint than me since I look intimidating or standoffish." Volkner voiced. 

 

"You're quiet, that's for sure, but definitely not intimidating or standoffish!" Candice assured. 

 

"Thanks..." He stopped. Volkner took a moment to come up with something more to say to keep the conversation going. "You're actually the first person—asides from Flint—to actually want to talk to me... Thank you, for that." 

 

Volkner had expected for Candice to say something, but when all he heard was silence from the other girl, his brows immediately furrowed, and he turned his head to look at her. He was immediately taken aback by the star-struck look on Candice's face. Her round brown eyes widen and her mouth slightly ajar. He noticed the rosy pink flush that peppered her cheeks. 

 

"N-no uh, no problem..." Candice's voice trailed off into a whisper. 

 

Volkner ended up chuckling and threw her a smile at her direction. 


	3. Year 3

 

 

The meeting had ended relatively early. Candice watched with curious eyes at the interactions the Gym Leaders and Elite Fours had with each other. She even noticed Cynthia partake in a couple of conversations. Candice sighed, and her eyes continued to roam around. She had spotted Flint during the meeting but had been troubled when she could not find Volkner at all.

She searched around for Flint, remembering that he was somewhere in the room talking to people after the meeting ended. She went up on her tip-toes to find the mess of vibrant red hair that seemed to never sway or move on top of Flint's head. She wondered if he had used a lot of hairspray to keep his afro solid like that.

Fifteen minutes of searching, she gave up and resigned to snack and drinks table. She picked out a BLT sandwich, a cookie, and a cup of water before she headed towards an empty chair near the back of the room. She nibbled away at her cookie until she was satisfied and moved onto her sandwich. It was different observing everyone instead of being in the fray and socializing.

"This is a new sight."

Candice looked up, her mouth still stuffed with a various mix of ingredients from her BLT. Her eyes immediately widened, and she quickly chewed her food in hopes that she could say something without it being inaudible.

"Cynthia!"

The blonde woman laughed and took a seat next to Candice. Her long black vest had a nice cut at the back, making it look like two elegant tails that drifted gracefully behind Cynthia whenever she walked. She pulled her hair up and had it rest on one shoulder as she crossed her legs, leaning in closer towards Candice.

"You're all by your lonesome over here? That's quite unusual for you, Candice." Cynthia chuckled.

Candice flushed and scratched the back of her head. "Well, you know. I'm pretty hungry so I just wanted to eat something before I got back to my regular self."

The older woman hummed, her voice rose in amusement as her eyes glued themselves onto Candice.

"That's understandable," Cynthia said finally. "These League meetings can go on for hours that I end up getting extremely hungry when we finish up. I'm hoping we can try having much longer breaks in between—maybe two or three breaks. What do you think?"

"M-me? You're asking for my opinion?"

Cynthia nodded, her lips still smiling down at Candice with a softness that she couldn't help but stare up at the Champion of Sinnoh. Her face felt warm and realized she had been staring for longer than intended. Candice made quick work of her BLT and finished the last few bites as she downed her water.

"Yeah. I figured I would get the input on the Gym Leaders and Elite Fours on what they think would be best for any future League meetings. It's my duty as the Champion of Sinnoh to ensure that the Gym Leaders and Elite Fours are comfortable and satisfied." Cynthia explained. Her voice calm and serene to the ears. Candice was drawn in by the melody that she unintentionally bit her lower lip.

"I-I mean, I think having breaks is nice—especially for meetings that drag on longer than expected! So, really, it's better to go with the flow and judge when would be a good time to take a break!" Candice suggested.

"Hm..." Cynthia tapped her chin, glancing upwards to the ceiling. "That's a wonderful suggestion, Candice. Thank you."

"You're welcome!"

"I've taken up most of your time, sorry to have intruded while you were eating." Cynthia got up. Her hands flung the two flaps from her vest back and pushed her hair back behind her.

"No, no worries! You're the Champion, so anything goes, really." Candice smiled.

This earned a chuckled from Cynthia. "That is true, but I do hope one day that I can be friends with all of you, and not just be the Champion of Sinnoh."

Both women bid their goodbyes and Candice was left in her seat, a cookie in her hand, a piece of lettuce stuck to her face, and an empty cup on her lap. Sometimes it sucked being pansexual, there were so many attractive people—Cynthia being one of them. Candice scarfed her cookie down, her cheeks puffed out like a Pachirisu storing food. She headed to the waste bin and threw whatever garbage she had on her and set the empty glass cup on a tray.

"Hey Ice Princess!"

Candice, recognizing that voice and nickname, spun around. "Flint!"

"Ha ha, whoa! Didn't know you missed me that much. What's up?" He asked.

She shrugged. "I just finished a really tasty BLT and talked to Cynthia for a bit."

Flint hummed, amused. "I saw. And I noticed that you were blushing the  _entire_ time you were talking to her."

"S-shut up." Candice muttered, her cheeks hot from embarrassment. Flint only laughed, and shoulder bumped Candice when he suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out his Pokegear.

"Ah, shit." He breathed out.

"What's up?" Asked Candice as she tried to subtly try to peek.

"It's Volkner," Flint sighed. His fingers moved with immense speed and put his Pokegear back into his pocket. "He's back home running a shit fever. Volkner just tried to get out of bed and finish his Gym Leader work but collapsed. Thank god some of the Trainers in his Gym were there when he fell."

"So that's why he isn't here..." Candice realized.

Flint cocked a brow in her direction. A smug smirk graced his lips as he nodded. "Didn't know you cared so much for our Electric Boy."

"I mean..." She trailed off. "It's the Sinnoh League meeting! Everyone in the association is here, and I didn't see him with you so, you know. You start to assume things."

"Sure, sure." Flint chided teasingly. "Anyways, I should probably get out now and take care of his sick ass."

"Do you need any help?"

"Are you offering to help?"

Candice shrugged. "I just figured it'd be better to have more hands to help out. It's a lot of work to do when you're taking care of someone with a fever—especially if they have a highly demanding job."

"Don't you have your own stuff to do back in Snowpoint?"

She shook her head. "I finished them all about a week ago. So, I'm all caught up with whatever work I had."

"Huh, cool, cool," Flint replied. "Well, guess that settles it. Let's go to Sunyshore!"

*

The two Staraptors landed gracefully onto the shores of Sunyshore City. The tide of the ocean continued to wash up, taking bits of sand with them back into the waters when they receded. Candice and Flint unmounted from their Staraptor and had them stay on the beach, allowing them permission to do whatever it was that they wished while they headed towards the Gym.

As Gym Leaders, they end up occupying the residence that is within the Gym. Not all Gym Leader will take that offer, but it's there out of convenience.

"Wow! It's so... Bright here!" Candice's eyes widen with every step she took within the city. The solar panels on roofs, the home-grown agriculture in everyone's backyards, and the self-sufficiency and eco-friendly environment the city was emitting.

"That's Sunyshore for ya!" Flint exclaimed proudly. "The Gym should just be down this block."

"Okay," Candice replied. Her eyes still star struck from Sunyshore City.

"If ya keep staring like that, you're going to continue looking like a tourist," Flint teased.

"I-I've never been to Sunyshore before!" Candice defended.

The two of them continued their banter back and forth as they finally reached Sunyshore City's Gym. The building wasn't massive, but it wasn't incredibly small either. It had a coat of electric blue paint with yellow strips going down the sides. There were also solar panels up on the top in place of a roof like most of the seaside homes here in the city.

"We're here," Flint stated obviously. He went towards the large double doors and opened them. Candice silently followed him.

The entrance was decorated with panels of light pale green sheets of metal bolted into the wall. There were a large platform and large gears churning away with a hollow sound that clanked and whirred against each other. Every new Gym Leader who takes on the Gym in their town or city were free to decorate it to their heart's desire. Some people changed the interior of their Gym so drastically that it was like a completely new building, while others would do the bare minimum. Not to mention that it wasn't uncommon for new Gym Leaders who specialized in a totally different type to renovate the Gym to suit their speciality (that was what Candice did she took over Snowpoint City's Gym).

"Flint, thanks for coming over. Sorry to have bothered you during the League meeting."

Candice came out from her trance at admiring the Gym and saw a young boy with dark green hair swooped to the side. She peeked over Flint's shoulder before she stepped around him and was standing side-by-side.

"Hey, don't worry about it Zachery. Thanks for letting me know about it. Volkner never listened when it came to his health." Flint sighed.

The boy, Zachery, nodded before he turned his attention over to Candice. His brows quirked upwards as his eyes seemed to analyze her. Candice, in turn, shifted her stance. Her lips drawn into a thin line as she avoided eye contact. Flint noticed this exchange and placed his hand on the small of her back out of reassurance.

"This is Candice, she's the Snowpoint City Gym Leader. She heard that Volkner's running a fever and collapsed trying to get back to work so she came by to help out." Flint explained.

Zachery's mouth parted and made a small 'O' shape before shutting it tight. He bowed towards her and gently scratched the back of his head.

"I'm sorry for my rudeness. I didn't realize that you were also a friend of Volkners'. It's not every day that you hear about your boss's friendship with other members of the League."

Candice waved her hands in front of her and smiled. "No, no! It's totally okay! I understand that you care about Volkner and was just worried."

The Trainer returned the same warm smile and stepped aside, allowing the two of them to enter the back where Volkner lived. Flint and Candice thanked Zachery and made their way to the back. A small single door stood between them and Flint bent down towards a small pot that stuck out like a sore thumb against the décor. He lifted up the pot and beneath it was a small metal key.

"He always puts the spare down here," Flint chuckled. He unlocked the door, putting the key back under the pot before he turned the doorknob and went inside. Candice, once again, followed closely behind him as she shut the door as quiet as possible.

The room they were in was roomy and minimalistic: a simple dining table in the middle of the room, a few chairs, a small TV stand for the equally small TV placed in the corner, several beanie chairs piled on top of each other on the floor, and a stack of unopened mail sprawled across the kitchen counter.

Flint flicked the light switch and the dark room was suddenly filled with a painful fluorescent light that made Candice flinch. She blinked her eyes rapidly, adjusting her eyes to the bright white light.

"Is this light even powered by the solar panels?" Candice asked as her eyes finally adjusted.

Flint all but laughed. "Yeah, pretty much! You'll get used to it though."

"Hng..." Candice groaned to herself.

Flint had already stepped within the kitchen boundaries and started to rifle through the fridge and cupboards. Candice gingerly stepped into the small little room and noticed there was another door to her right. It was closed but she was able to hear faint coughing from the other side.

"That must be Volkner's room?" Candice asked, pointing to the door. Flint nodded.

"Yeah—hey, could you go in there and check up on him? I'm going to see if I can make some porridge with... Whatever it is that he has in here..." Flint trailed off. "Hm, okay, I think I may need to do a bit of shopping."

"R-right now?"

"There's literally nothing here that could make a beneficial meal, plus, it doesn't look like he has any medicines. So, I'll have to pop by the PokeMart and grab some." Flint headed back to the foyer and slipped on his shoes. Before he left, he turned his head back, his eyes managed to lock onto Candice. "Just stay with him for a bit. I shouldn't be too long. And if there's anything that you need, feel free ask some of the Trainers here in the Gym—like Zachery. They'll be more than willing to help you out."

"Alright..." Candice pursed her lips and waved as Flint left Volkner's house.

Alone, Candice went towards the closed door to Volkner's room. She pressed her ear directly on top of it and heard the slight snores and coughs that emitted from it. She placed her hand on the doorknob, turning it and quietly walked inside. The door shut just as quietly as she came in and was immediately greeted by darkness once again. The curtains had been drawn shut, barely any light shone through the room. Candice had to stand there in the room for a few seconds for her eyes to readjust to the dark before she made her way over to Volkner's bed.

It was oddly quiet despite the noises coming from Volkner. Candice found a small stool and set it beside the bed. She sat down and watched as Volkner shifted under the blankets and turned around, facing the wall. Candice chuckled and took this time to study her surroundings.

His room was just as simplistic as the rest of his home. There were no decorations on the wall asides from a relatively small corkboard with pictures of him and Flint as children, teens, and adults. There was a desk just off to the side with a laptop—closed—and some papers stacked neatly beside it. The entire room smelt of Chamomile and lemon. It wasn't something Candice was used to smelling, but it was oddly calming that she couldn't help but shut her eyes for a moment.

A minute passed. Then another. And then another. Candice opened up her eyes, blinking furiously as she glanced down at Volkner, who had his eyes wide open.

"Ah!" Candice jumped out from her seat, knocking the stool over.

"What are you doing in my room?" Was all Volkner said as he slowly sat up, using his arms as support.

"Holy fucking Arceus! Let a girl know if you're awake next time!" Candice chided. She clutched the front of her blouse and took a moment to regulate her breathing.

"Sorry for scaring you, but you didn't answer my question: what are you doing here?"

Candice drew out an exasperated sigh as she placed the stool back in place and sat back down.

"Flint told me that you have a fever and tried to finish up some work and collapsed. I offered to help him out and tagged along. Flint's actually grabbing some groceries and medicine since you didn't have any." She said calmly.

Volkner nodded. "Thanks..."

"Not a problem!" She smiled. "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged.

"Is... Is that a yes or no?" Candice asked.

"I feel like I got trampled by a herd of Tauros." He deadpanned.

This earned Candice a hearty laugh as she clutched her stomach.

"I'm glad my suffering is to your amusement."

"O-oh my Arceus! I didn't know you were able to make jokes!" She cackled.

Volkner shrugged. "What can I say, I'm a real HootHoot at parties."

"Incredible," Candice replied.

"Uh," Volkner coughed. He reached a hand out to stop Candice from jumping out of her seat. "Thanks for offering to look after me with Flint. We barely know each other, but thanks."

Candice grinned, her eyes twinkled, resembling the stars at night. "Don't worry about it, Volkner."


	4. Year 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got access to the chapters I wrote for this fic on my office 365 and transferred them all do my google drive. Never. Again.

 

Volkner closed the Gym, thanking the Trainers that were usually in there to help or train as they left through the front door. Once the last of the Trainers left, he locked the doors and headed to the very back. He pulled a large lever that stuck out of the back wall and the lights in the vicinity immediately shut down. Darkness only surrounded Volkner, asides from the faint orange and purple hues that leaked into the Gym from the sunset that glowered in the sky.

 

The blonde sighed and fished out a key from his pocket, unlocking a door just a few feet away from the lever. Once it was unlocked, he pushed it open, stepped inside, and shuts it behind him with a soft 'click'.

 

"I'm so tired..." He muttered to himself. He flicked the small switch and light filled the den. He trudged over towards the kitchen, opening the fridge door and checked if there was anything good to eat for dinner. Thankfully, Flint had come over weeks ago with bags of groceries, so his fridge was stocked.

 

Volkner took out a head of cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, and ground Miltank and set it onto the kitchen counter. The running water from the faucet was the only noise that drifted throughout the room. Volkner took the cabbage, tomatoes, and carrots into the sink as he thoroughly washed them.

 

His Pokegear suddenly rung, vibrating violently in his pocket. He turned the water off, dried his hands, and reached for his Pokegear.

 

"Hello?" He answered.

 

" _Hey! It's me! Candice! Remember?_ "

 

Volkner chuckled. "Yeah, I remember."

 

" _What time is it over there, by the way?_ "

 

"About six-thirty in the evening, why?"

 

Volkner heard a terrified gasp from the other line and he tried his best to suppress his laughter.

 

" _Oh my Arceus! You're probably making dinner right now! I'm sorry to have bothered you!_ "

 

"Nah, if anything, you're saving me from having to go through the gruesome trouble of making dinner," Volkner replied. He went around the counter and made his way over to the dining table. His hands pulled the chair out ever so slightly as he slipped into the seat with ease. His elbows rested on top of the table as he continued talking with Candice.

 

" _You sure it's okay?_ " She asked. Volkner could pinpoint the worry in her voice as it always gets hitched an octave or two higher than her regular tone.

 

"Yeah," he said quickly. "Anyways, isn't it around nine in the morning over there?"

 

" _Yup! I just finished a battle with a newbie Trainer! They almost won too!_ "

 

He leaned even more forward. "Now that would have been interesting to see."

 

" _It really was one of the strongest matches I faced!_ "

 

"Anything else interesting happened?"

 

" _Hmm... Not mu—oh! Shoot, I totally forgot I have to get ready for a class I'm teaching in an hour!_ "

 

"That sounds like a predicament," Volkner mused.

 

" _I can never take your humour seriously... I don't even know if you're being funny or not..._ " Candice huffed.

 

"It takes a while to understand my humour. It took Flint fifteen years to get my humour, and we've been friends since we were kids." He continued.

 

Candice hummed for a moment.

 

"What are you going to be teaching later?" Volkner asked.

 

" _I'm subbing for my friend's class—which is the one I should be preparing for right now, but whatever._ " Candice chuckled a little. " _Her class is full of younger kids—like around six to ten—and the lesson plan my friend gave me was to teach them about the different Pokemon Types and Type advantages and disadvantages_."

 

"Sounds like you're going to give them quite the advantage when they become trainers."

 

Volkner waited a few seconds to hear Candice respond, but when she didn't, he called out. It was at that moment did Candice answer.

 

" _I can't believe you made a pun... Volkner... What the fuck._ " She said, her voice monotonous and sullen.

 

"Again, it takes a while to understand my humour," he replied. His voice filled with bravado and a different kind of confidence that even he wasn't aware that he had.

 

" _Yeah, yeah, I got it..._ " A pause. " _Okay, I think I should really get going now. I'm like, twenty minutes in and I haven't even figured out what I'm going to say or organize my lecture. I'll talk to you later!_ "

 

"Good luck."

 

" _Thanks!_ "

 

The line went quiet and Volkner put his Pokegear onto the dining table. He checked the small round clock up on the wall. It was five past seven. With a huge sigh and a soft smile on his face, he got up and went back into the kitchen to finish making his dinner.

 

*

 

Volkner set up some chairs outside in his backyard and leaned back. His eyes bore onto the glimmering beacons that puckered in the sky like unwelcomed zits (except the stars were preferred much more than zits). The darkness and the cool breeze from being near the ocean passed over him with such gentleness that it almost caused Volkner to doze off. He shook his head, pinching his cheek to stay awake.

 

The silence continued to befall around him. His lips started to move as he counted the stars above. His eyes looked over each of their twinkles as he muttered number after number. His brows started to crinkle together. His focus drowned him of all sounds around him as he continued to count.

 

"… 239, 240, 241..." Volkner's tongue darted out, wetting his lips as they started to crinkle and dry up. Without taking his eyes away from the sky, he reached down to a small plastic water bottle and uncapped it.

 

"… 255, 256, 257..." He continued after he downed almost half of the content in the bottle. He sets it back down onto the ground, his eyes still locked up at the stars. However, his hyper-focus was broken when he heard the blaring noise of his Pokegear screaming in his pocket.

 

"260..." Volkner nodded, though miffed that someone had distracted him from his counting, he was a bit thankful that someone did. He probably would have been out there the entire night without any sleep. He quickly checked the caller ID, smiling a little bit when he saw Candice's name flashed across the screen.

 

"Hello?" He answered.

 

" _Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Volkner!_ "

 

"Uh...?"

 

" _Okay, right. Explanation._ " Candice paused. " _So, I was calling to ask about your day, but totally forgot about time zones and that it's probably super duper late down there? Sorry if I probably woke you up or something!_ "

 

Volkner chuckled at the franticness that laced throughout her words.

 

"No, you didn't wake me up. You actually helped me snapped me out of what I was doing just now."

 

" _Oh no. Was it important?_ "

 

Volkner shook his head, but then realized she wouldn't have been able to see so he said a quick no just to calm her down.

 

"I get into this habit where if I start counting the stars, I become hyper-focused and can't really get out of it until someone intervenes." He explained.

 

" _Is that so?_ "

 

"Yup."

 

" _How many stars did you count? Before I called you, anyways!_ "

 

"260." He said confidently.

 

" _That's a lot of stars! Holy shit!_ " Her voice rose an octave. Volkner even noticed that her breath escaped her when she said 'stars'.

 

"Last time I was able to get to 1,480 stars."

 

" _Arceus! Volkner! How are you even able to do that? How did you have so much time—do you even_ sleep _?_ "

 

"Eh, as I said, once I become hyper-focus, it's hard to bring me back. And no, I didn't exactly sleep that night. Flint actually had to come by my house and berated me for it."

 

The other line went quiet and for a moment, Volkner was scared that Candice had ended the call or had left. He was relieved when he heard her soft chuckles from the other line.

 

“ _That’s still pretty amazing though, not gonna lie_ ,” Candice commented. Volkner felt a sense of pride when she had said that.

 

“Thanks, I guess.”

 

“ _Anyways, I should probably leave you back to your counting! I also have a few chores to finish up over here_.” Candice said.

 

“Alright, take care.”

 

“ _G’night!”_


End file.
